Tonjiru
Author: 
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Japanese
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 8 cups dashi broth (or 8 cups water & 10 g bonito dashi powder)
  • 1 3 to 5 ounce piece of boneless pork chop, cubed (add more meat as desired)
  • ½ brown onion, sliced
  • ¼ cup awase miso (mixture of red and white miso)
  • 2 cups satsuma imo (Japanese sweet potato), skin removed and cubed
  • 2 large carrots, rough chop
  • 2 cups sliced gobo (burdock root), or use one long root
  • 1 package konnyaku (devils tongue), cubed
  • 1 stalk green onion, sliced on diagonal for garnish
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, simmer dashi broth with cubed pork on low heat for about 15 - 20 minutes. Skim and discard all residual foam.
  2. Add brown onions, carrots, gobo (burdock), and konnyaku. Cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Skim any residual foam as necessary.
  3. Add satsuma imo (Japanese sweet potato) and simmer for 5 minutes until tender.
  4. Dissolve miso paste in a small bowl (or in the ladle) with broth from the pot. Add miso mixture into the pot. Gently simmer another 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow to cool and store in fridge until ready to reheat and serve.
  5. NOTE: My mom always makes tonjiru a few hours before actually serving it so that all the vegetables have some time to absorb the dashi and miso flavors. If served immediately, you'll find the vegetables don't have a deep flavor.
  6. Garnish with green onions.
Notes
If you are adjusting the strength of the miso flavor by adding more paste, keep in mind that the flavor profile for the miso broth of tonjiru is medium to mild, and not bold.
Recipe by Bebe Love Okazu at https://bebeloveokazu.com/2013/06/26/tonjiru-traditional-japanese-pork-soup/